Guitar.



A. LARSON.

GUITAR.

APPLICATION FILED JUNB2, 1909.

Patented Apr. 2,

COLUMBIA FLANOGRAPH co., WASHINGTON, D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUST LARSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

GUITAR.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUST LARSON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented a new and useful Guitar, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to improvements in guitars, and has specialreference to those instruments which are known as harp guitars, in whichthere is a wide range in and great difference between the size andlength of the strings.

A guitar which is sufficiently heavy in construction and large in sizefor the larger strings having a relatively low number of vibrations willnot be well proportioned for a light string having a relatively highnumber of vibrations; and the objects of my invention are, first, theprovision of an instrument equally suitable for both large and smallstrings; second, the construction of the instrument so that the musicfrom the large and small strings will be properly modulated andcombined; and, third, the strengthening of various details ofconstruction and the general improvement of the instrument. I attainthese objects by the construction illustrated in the accompanyingdrawing, in which Figure l is a plan of my improved instrument, with thebracing for the front soundboard and the side partition between thelarger and smaller compartments shown in dotted lines; and Fig. 2 is asection on line 22 of Fig. 1 with the side of the inner compartmentpartly broken away. Fig. 3 is a central transverse section through theguitar bodies.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the views.

The reference numeral 1 designates the front sounding board of myimproved instrument, which has the usual guitar outline except that oneside therof is the outline of a much larger instrument than the otherside. Sides, 2, are secured to and extend backwardly from the edges ofthe front sounding-board, l, and to them are secured a back, 3. Suitablyplaced braces, 4, are

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 2, 1909.

Patented Apr. 2, 1912.

Serial No. 499,789.

provided to strengthen the back, 3, and other braces, 5, as shown inFig. 1, are provided for strengthening the sounding board, 1. In thesounding board, 1, are sound holes, 6 and 7. A bridge member, 8, isprovided upon the sounding board, to which strings, 9, are attached. Twonecks, 10 and 11, hav ing tuning keys, 12, extend from the soundingboard, 1, and sides, 2. Extending downwardly from the under face of thesounding board, 1, and within the compartment formed by the soundingboard, sides, 2, and back, 3, are shorter sides, 13, to which aresecured a back sounding board, 14. This construction provides a smallerchamber or guitar body of lighter construction within the larger body.The smaller chamber is much more suitable for and will respond much morereadily to the vibrations of the smaller strings, but the vibration ofeither compartment or chamber is transmitted to the other so that theinstrument is a single cooperating whole instead of two separateinstruments. In order to secure the necks 10 and 11 in position so thatthey will not be deflected I provide each neck with a base 16 which isglued to the side 2. A finger board 18 is finally secured to the neck.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

1. In a stringed instrument, a soundboard, means for securing strings insuitable relation thereto, a sound chamber provided upon the back ofsaid soundboard, a smaller sound chamber secured to the back of saidsoundboard and located within said firstmentioned chamber, and separateopenings in said soundboard to said chambers.

2. In combination with a guitar, a smaller sound chamber secured to theback of the sounding board within the body or sound chamber of said saidguitar, and separate openings in said soundboard to said chambers.

FRANK J OHNSON, WM. PATTERSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

